Trip Report: Phuket, Java & Bali
Jan 22nd, 2007, 07:47 PM
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Trip Report: Phuket, Java & Bali
Mangosteen Resort and Spa, Phuket
Amanjiwo Resort, Borobudur
Ibah Villas, Ubud
The Raffles Plaza, Singapore
First, thank you to all of who provided assistance to us in preparing for this trip through your trip reports and by providing responses to our questions. We had a terrific adventure due in no small part to the advice we received from many of you. Special thanks to Ericka and Marmot on your recommendations of Amanjiwo; a very special experience for us.
This is my first trip report which is long overdue. There have been several previous attempts to finish this report and I even considered not posting it at this point. Never imagined how difficult it is to create a trip report.
Phuket:
The Mangosteen Resort and Spa is a 40 room (villas) boutique resort located in Rawai in southern Phuket. Situated on a hillside with terrific views of the bay, sea and islands, the resort is centered around a very large, custom saline pool. The grounds are nicely filled with lush tropical plantings and the architecture has a Thai influence. The resort provides a peaceful and quiet environment away from the crowds. A free shuttle brings you to nearby Nai Harn beach which is relatively quiet also. We were content to lounge by the pool in our downtime and personally didn’t miss the beach on this particular trip. The quiet location necessitates transportation to get to anywhere outside the resort. You must climb up a very long staircase to enter the reception area from the resort entrance so good mobility is necessary.
We stayed in a deluxe (their classification) villa. The room was very large and nicely appointed with a great water view and glass doors that opened onto a comfortable veranda. The bath was also large and had an adjoining open air jaccuzzi room.
The spa is situated in a separate building. The massages at the spa were exceptional and my wife who loves spas and massages found her massages here the best of the entire trip and among the best she’s experienced. We’d recommend a massage here even if staying elsewhere in the area.
We really enjoyed the atmosphere here; quiet, relaxing and beautiful surroundings with an efficient staff that had a low key, friendly demeanor, provided personalized service and of course fantastic Thai hospitality. If interested in nightlife, other than dinner at a restaurant, this location would be considered somewhat remote. The food, to us, was adequate but not as good as we would have liked.
While in Phuket we did the requisite elephant trekking, which my wife hated and is a story in itself (no surprise for she doesn’t like heights and is prone to motion sickness). A visit to a local school to donate school supplies and toys we had brought was a great experience. The young children are so beautiful and are so amazingly well behaved especially for their young age. We spent a relaxing day on the beach at beautiful Coral Island partaking in a variety of water sports. Feeding the fish while snorkeling by flicking off tiny pieces of a banana with my finger was not only amazing but became extremely intense as I was swarmed at one point by dozens of fish in a feeding frenzy. A visit to Patong one night after dinner didn’t take long for us to tire of – not unlike some beachside resorts back home – pretty honky tonk including an Elvis impersonator .
Wanting to buy pearl jewelry, I went to what is billed as the world’s biggest jewelry store, the Gem’s Gallery, which was recommended to me. I don’t doubt the claim. This store was a room the size of a convention hall; a remarkable sight.
Phuket was enjoyable in many respects but the primary reason we would return to Thailand is the Thai people. We found them to be almost universally pleasant and dedicated to providing the best in hospitality.
Borobudur
A flight on Silk Air to Singapore with a direct flight on Garuda toYogyakarta, meant a night arrival into Yogya. Our flight was crowded with students apparently returning to school and everyone seemed to be trying to get into the terminal at once. There was a bit of harmless jockeying and bumping as all seemed in a hurry. We approached the Visa on Demand window and all seemed to go smoothly. We were given one week visas based on our return flight itinerary. (A week later as we left Bali for Singapore, we were told that our visas had just expired. I didn’t believe this was correct as from what I could see on the computer screen our visas were good through the end of the day. However, the Indonesian departure agent didn’t speak English and insisted we had to each pay a penalty and purchase an additional one week visa at a cost of $20. US each).
Due to our late arrival, rather than make the drive to Amanjiwo that night, we decided to sleep at the local Hyatt and have an early morning departure for Borobudur and Amanjiwo, about 1 hour north. We didn’t have time to see much of the Hyatt as we left after breakfast but would recommend the Hyatt to anyone wishing to stay near Yogya. The interior of the hotel was very nice as were the grounds. A word of caution, we had a special discount rate which was extremely inexpensive and included a buffet breakfast. However, our room was very small which was fine for the few hours we were there but would be claustrophobic if staying any longer.
The driver/guide for the Aman who picked us up and spent the remainder of our stay with us, Rohmad Hidajet, was one of the best guides I have encountered in my travels. If planning a stay at Amanjiwo I would highly recommend requesting Rohmad. Personable, educated, well-spoken, warm, knowledgeable, a gentleman… you get the idea. Although not offered by Romad, my many questions over three days revealed that when not working at the Aman he also works for a local tour company, www.borobudurtourandtravel.com so anyone not staying at the Aman can contact him there if wishing to use his services.
What can I say about the Amanjiwo that has not already been said by others ? Overall, it is simply the best resort we have experienced. It would be difficult to think of anything that I would change. The location, the architectural design, the selection of the building materials, the layout, the view, the activities, the GM & staff, the rooms, the interior design, the suites, the peace and oh the FOOD – incredible all. IMHO, our Java experience would not have been the same had we not stayed there. Some travelers who were not staying there, came for lunch and a tour of the facility. I’d say that no trip to Central Java is complete without at least touring the resort and having lunch by the 40m pool. Certainly not inexpensive but I feel it was worth the price for us as it has left us with such wonderful memories of a very unique experience. I envy those who live closer than I who can return regularly as one guest I met from OZ does.
We stayed in a Borobudur suite which was on the lowest level of the grounds (two levels of the villas are terraced into a hillside below the main building). This meant that there were two long sets of stairs to climb to get up to the main building. Thankfully my wife’s knee was doing well only 12 weeks after a partial knee replacement. The edge of our patio bordered on fields that the Aman has arranged for the village residents to farm which gave us the feeling of being part of the picturesque countryside from our room and patio. After school, children would even go to one of the open fields and fly their kites. The rooms are even more beautiful in person than they appear in the photos. I believe Amanjiwo has won a travel award for the best rooms which we found to be very beautiful and comfortable, private and nicely designed. Spending a week here would be an ideal vacation for us.
We found that the staff apparently responded positively to our friendly, low key manner and in a most remarkable way. They seemed to treat less like guests and more like distant relatives that they were welcoming into their home. To us it seemed more sincere than nice people just doing their job well at an exclusive resort. It’s hard to describe but was wonderful to feel. We had great experiences with the staff at the other boutique resorts we stayed at in Thailand and Bali but this was special and different than we have ever experienced in any of our travels. The people who live in this rural area near Borobudur won our hearts and to us are more magical and special than the magnificent monument itself.
My favorite activity was riding a bike through the small villages in the area around the Aman. Although only a few of the residents I met could speak English, all responded warmly to my smiles and greetings to them. From children on their way home from school to farmers picking tobacco in the fields, they enjoyed seeing the photos they allowed me to take of them. Apparently, it is a courtesy to pay a small fee to some of the farm workers who allowed me to take their picture when it was requested. The smell of the tobacco leafs drying by the edge of the road filled the air. I saw many wonderful sites during my rides.
The Indonesian cooking class comes very highly recommended by my wife for those so inclined. She worked with the assistant chef who was very personable and she had a great time. We got to eat the dishes she prepared and the tastes were wonderful. My wife, who is an accomplished chef and has run a resort kitchen was amazed at the number of people working in Amanjiwo’s kitchen, especially considering the small number of guests staying at the resort at that time. All food preparation is done by hand including grinding up peanuts. No food processors here.
A dawn visit to Borobudur along with an explanation of the history of the area and the monument by Rohmad was very enjoyable and something my wife had looked forward to for many years. We imagined the countless numbers of pilgrims who had stood where we were over the centuries. Our expectations were that Borobudur would provide a special feeling. As marvelous and wonderous as it is, we found no special feelings there. This feeling was found however in the surrounding area. After our tour of Borobudur, the Aman arranged a picnic breakfast of our choosing on Dagi Hill in Borobudur Park overlooking the monument. This was one of my wife’s favorite experiences of our trip. Sitting on a stone bench with cushions and our breakfast before us on a small table, we looked out at the monument among pine tress, near the crest of the hill in perfect weather with a gentle breeze. Here was a stillness, peace and timelessness that felt wonderful. Almost on cue, as we finished our breakfast, two elephants came striding slowly up the path each carrying their handler and a visitor. We greeted them and one of the trainers stopped for a moment and briefly spoke with us. Idyllic.
A visit to a local rural market was also a great experience, seeing the area residents shopping for the day. The variety of produce grown locally was nearly as extensive as at a US supermarket. Rohmad pointed out many items for sale such as duck eggs and assisted us in buying a few small items. He also told us that Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Catholics all peacefully live in this immediate area. What a great example they set.
Mendut Temple is a temple from approximately the same period as Borobudur and is still in active use. During our visit, we learned of its history and spent a short time meditating in the wonderful energy that fills the small room in its interior. The evening before, I visited the Buddhist Monastery across the way and listened as the monks did their evening chants as my wife rested back at Amanjiwo.
One evening, we attended The Ramayana Ballet at the Prambanan Temple complex which was a one hour drive from the Aman. The open air theatre is impressive and has three temple spires rising above the backdrop of the stage. The costumes were very impressive although the some of the dancers in this particular troupe were not as accomplished as was expected for this impressive location. Still, definitely a sight worth experiencing.
Bali
As soon as we got off the plane we could feel a difference from Java. Two areas of the same country that feel so different and both so nice in their own way. Our guide, Putu Arnawa met us at the airport on our arrival in the late afternoon. He’s very pleasant young man who is quite professional and well educated. Putu is a graduate of a tourism college. We found him to be a little more reserved than Rohmad but he is very knowledgeable and responded with good explanations and answers to all of our questions. Perhaps it’s due to a difference in cultures.
From the airport, we visited Jimbaran Beach and then Uluwatu for the sunset. We watched as the fisherman carried their boats down to the water. Surprisingly, I found that walking along the beach reminded of the beaches at home in the Northeast. At Uluwatu, my wife was not thrilled by the prospect of monkeys jumping up and trying to snatch things from her but thanks to Putu’s warning, she removed her sunglasses and jewelry and we were not bothered although they did look us over very closely. Uluwatu is a beautiful, special place and we were glad we were able to visit it.
From there, we drove to our resort in Ubud., The Ibah Villas. Owned by a member of one of the Balinese royal families, Ibah is very much Balinese in its architecture. Set in the Ubud Hills, it is built into the side of a very lush and steep hill next to the Campuhan river, and is almost overgrown with tropical plants. It seems as if it were just discovered after decades of being lost in the Balinese countryside. At every turn there is a fountain, statue, coy pond or footbridge. Small Balinese traditional offerings can be seen throughout including at the entrance to your room; a stick of incense and perhaps a little rice on a green leaf. The concrete has been made to look like stone and is often coated in spots with moss adding to the sense of antiquity. Ibah has a very Balinese flavor and imparts a very comfortable feeling.
One has the sense of being in a remote rural area yet it is just on the edge of downtown Ubud which is within a very short walk. The rooms contain many antique items such as doors and hardware. Yet all the modern conveniences are present. The resort was built in 1995.
The suite we stayed was extremely nice with one unusual feature that is unique to this suite alone. You travel across a footbridge and down a path and then up a short set of stairs and under an arch with the carving of Buddha overhead. You enter through an antique door onto a large and wonderfully private covered porch with a great view that looks across the river to the hill on the opposite side. On each side of the porch is another set of antique doors. One set opens into a large and pleasantly furnished room with a separate dressing area off to one side. The doors on the other side of the porch open into an immense marble bathroom the size of a normal room. So, to get from the room to the bathroom you must pass through the porch. I would never have guessed that my wife would be ok with this layout. Actually, it was not an issue during our stay and in a way was nice to have the bath separated from our room. Should you think otherwise there are traditional arrangements in the other 14 suites at the Ibah. Our stay was most enjoyable in every regard and would happily stay at Ibah again on a return visit. The Ibah website does not do the resort justice as it is very difficult to photograph.
At this point, about 10 days into our trip, we were starting to feel a bit travel weary and decided not to travel very far from Ubud and allow some time in the afternoon to relax by the pool. Putu took us to the crafts villages to tour some of the shops, to a traditional Balinese family compound and to the Rudana Art Museum and Gallery. We hadn’t planned on buying a painting but the manager pleaded with us to do so. He offered us a discount without our asking and we did buy a nice piece that we enjoy. Putu told us museum galleries don’t discount their paintings and he was surprised that we were offered one. He said this is because of the decrease in tourists.
My wife couldn’t visit Bali without buying some jewelry from John Hardy. We spent almost three hours there including lunch and had a good time talking with John and his wife Cynthia and some of the managers during lunch. They are all very nice people and do a lot of good for their adopted country. Over 700 of their employees are provided lunch daily with the food that they grow organically on their property. They also will be opening a school in the near future. Should you decide to shop there I suggest visiting their website first to identify pieces you are interested in as many items aren’t on display. This speeds your shopping as looking through the catalog and waiting for items to be found in their inventory was a slow process. Comparing the prices of pieces of JH jewelry in Bali to the prices at our local jewelry store that carries his line, there appears to be a savings of about 40% to 50%.
On two evenings, we attended dance performances that we found to be very good. One was the Legong Trance & Paradise Dance performed by Panca Artha Group at the Ubud Palace. The second was the Kecak Fire & Trance (Cak Rina) Dance performed by Teges Kanginan at the ARMA Open Stage which is performed on every new and full moon. The latter was a very professional and dramatic performance that was greatly enhanced by the setting and one that I especially enjoyed.
The food at Ibah was very good. We especially enjoyed the breakfast buffet which included a variety of fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices and baked goods. Our most enjoyable dinner in Ubud was at Lamak restaurant as recommended by a JH manager and the owners of Ibah. We invited Putu to join us for dinner at Lamak and all found the menu, food and atmosphere to be excellent and we enjoyed very pleasant conversation as well.
We also spent some time walking through the downtown Ubud shopping area on our own and visited several shops. We found most shops nearly empty of customers. Of particular note, a small shop we visited, Alamkara on Monkey Forest Rd, that Putu had previously suggested, carries cute, mid-priced ($25 - $80) gemstone jewelry unlike we saw elsewhere, including the crafts villages. After our shopping tour of downtown, we were amazed to find that uncharacteristically the Ibah gift shop had a good variety of quality items at a reasonable mark-up in price.
There was a royal cremation on the day we were leaving which was disappointing to miss. We did however see the preparations and photograph the cremation bull and the tower used to carry the body to the cemetery which were unbelievable sights. As we walked down the street toward the temple we were approached by many women selling items nearly desperate to make a sale. We found this particularly sad and hope that tourism in Indonesia improves as many seem dependent on it.
Singapore:
With only a one day stop over, we toured part of the city by cab on our way to Sentosa Island for a few hours. The Raffles Plaza appeared to us as primarily a business hotel but was very comfortable and its location above a shopping mall provided a nice place for us to walk around. We had an extremely good dinner at Chinese restaurant in the area beneath the Plaza but unfortunately I don’t remember its name.
Combining a trip to Phuket with visits to Java and Bali and doing as much as we did was ambitious over a 16 day trip but we didn’t want any regrets after traveling halfway around the world. The time seemed right for us and we’re glad we visited all three areas which are so different from each other. There were so many wonderful and notable experiences we had on this trip and we met so many terrific people. And so, what we will remember the most from this particular adventure are the Thai and Indonesian people and their cultures; whether Buddhist, Muslim or Hindi who to us are their countries real treasures. For those who have never been, we encourage you to experience them for yourselves.
